


Tomodachi o Tsukuritainara

by Pippinpaddleopsicopolis (Barnable)



Series: Whenever I'm Around You [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: ATLA WLW Week 2020, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Badass Women, Day Two: Academia AU | Rivals, F/F, Fluff, It Doesn't Say But I Picture Them Both as Black Belts, Karate, POV Suki (Avatar), Shamelessly Inspired by the Author's Experiences
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:55:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26558503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Barnable/pseuds/Pippinpaddleopsicopolis
Summary: Suki meets the most amazing woman at their national karate convention, only to have to compete against her during the annual kata tournament.
Relationships: Suki/Ty Lee (Avatar)
Series: Whenever I'm Around You [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1931983
Comments: 5
Kudos: 36
Collections: AtLA WLW week 2020





	Tomodachi o Tsukuritainara

Suki knew from the moment they met that she and Ty Lee were destined to become rivals.

Okay, that makes it sound a lot more dramatic than it was. They met on the first day of their association's national karate convention, and established within their first conversation that they’d both be participating in the kata tournament on the second afternoon. Not that it was a problem at all—friendship and cooperation were above anything else in the teachings of their art, and they ended up spending most of their time together.

Ty Lee was amazing in every sense of the word and it took about six minutes for Suki to fall head over heels for her. Each time they took a break between seminars, whether for lunch or rest, Suki found Ty Lee and they talked and talked. They introduced each other to people from their respective dojos and practiced different drills they learned over the weekend.

But of course, the tournament had to arrive eventually, and suddenly, they were opponents. Thankfully, they weren’t against each other in the first bracket, and were able to cheer each other on. Ty Lee was fond of hugs, Suki learned quickly, and they exchanged one after each around. Suki hadn’t gotten a chance to properly watch Ty Lee’s katas yet and each time she competed; it was mesmerizing.

“That was amazing!” Ty Lee lifted Suki straight off the ground after her most recent victory, almost squeezing her to death with a hug. Suki couldn’t help but blush, even though she’d seen Ty Lee do the same with her other friends. “I almost hope I go out in the next round so I don’t have to compete against you at the end.”

“Aw, don’t say that.” She smiled when she sat back down, crossing her legs beneath her, and straightening her back. Ty Lee’s took the seat on the floor beside her, her gaze locked on the current round of competitors. “I would love to see you win this just as much as I’d love to win it myself.”

All right, so that wasn’t _entirely_ true, but in what world could it be? Yes, Suki took a seriously liking to Ty Lee, but there was a part of her that wanted to win the tournament, and that had been around for much longer. Still, she knew she would be happy if a tad disappointed to see Ty Lee win, and that was enough for her to feel genuine when she offered the encouragement.

Suki stayed silent and respectful as the next few pairs did their katas, watching carefully and taking notes so she could learn. She’d been doing that with each person, save for Ty Lee. Whenever she stepped up to compete, Suki somehow lost sight of what she was thinking and suddenly, she was more focused on the woman herself. Her katas were incredible, her movements fluid through each strike, stance, and block, but it wasn’t even the most captivating thing about her.

One of the reasons Ty Lee stuck out so clearly in Suki’s mind that first morning was because she loved pink. She wore a shining pastel hair tie, and a tank beneath her gi which nearly matched. Little pins hung out behind her braid, holding back the smallest strands that didn’t quite fit, and her fingernails were painted with a soft, sparkling pink, the same as her lip gloss. It was subtle but beautiful and it highlighted her beautiful features in all the best ways.

“Ty Lee? You’re up next.”

The moment the sensei spoke, Ty Lee turned to look at Suki. They exchanged the smallest of smiles before Suki reached for Ty Lee’s hand, giving her a little squeeze as she stood up to compete. Within seconds, Ty Lee was behind the current competitors, bouncing between her heels and the balls of her feet as she twisted her hands behind her back nervously. Suki shot her a reassuring smile.

From there, it was the same thing over again. Just like the first two or three times she’d gone up, Suki got lost in Ty Lee’s movements; her long brown braid, her deep, shining eyes, and the way she so subtly bit down on the corner of her lip as she concentrated. She didn’t make one mistake, her techniques solid if ever so imperfect.

When she finished, it was a landslide. Five of the seven flags went up in her favor; raising the color red as she was designated. Suki grinned when she ran back over to her seat, and they exchanged another quick hug before Ty Lee turned around and to her other side for encouragements from her other friends. Her smile was contagious, and Suki couldn’t help but ease into her own, right up until the sensei leading the brackets walked up to them.

“Suki, Ty Lee, you’re up for the semifinals after those two.”

It was inevitable. If they didn’t meet in the semi-finals, they’d meet in the finals. As long as they were both in the competition, they were destined to compete, and Suki knew that from the day before. There was a small part of her that didn’t want to go up against her new crush, but a larger part was curious as to whether she could beat this incredible martial artist.

“May the best woman win,” said Suki. She held out a hand for Ty Lee to shake, but she didn’t. Instead, she threw her arms around Suki’s neck, holding onto her tightly. “We’re just going to compete, you know. It’s not like one of us is going to die.”

“No, but…” Ty Lee lowered her voice, glancing over to the active competitors before she went on. “You’ve been so kind this whole weekend and I just want to know that no matter who wins, we’re still going to be friends, right? I know we don’t exactly live close together, but I don’t want to just go home and pretend this never happened.”

Suki slid her own arms around Ty Lee’s back, holding onto her tightly. “We’ll always be friends, Ty Lee. That’s what this is all about.”

“I know. I just wanted to be sure.”

They pulled apart the moment they heard the scoring from the current round, moving into their positions without question. Without a doubt, the worst part of the tournament were the many moments in which you had to wait. Standing there during the round before you, before you’re told to start, before they’ve raised the flags—but none of those had ever been so terrifying as when she had to do it with Ty Lee as her opponent.

She glanced over to her friend before the stepped up to the starting points. With each bow, Suki’s heart raced a little faster, and she took a deep breath to calm her nerves before saying a word. Her and Suki were doing different katas, at least, so it wouldn’t be a direct comparison. But it was still weird, going up against someone who’d come to mean so much to her in just about thirty hours.

Though her thoughts were on Ty Lee when they walked up there, the moment Suki began her kata, all her thoughts drifted away. She was focused, in the zone, thinking about nothing but ensuring that each move was the best it could be. She was proud of how well she did by the end; months of hard work paid off, even if she wasn’t able to compete with Ty Lee’s phenomenal abilities.

Ty Lee chose a kata that was slightly longer, and Suki ended up finishing first. She held her gaze straight at the wall ahead of her, her hands gripped into tight fists as she waited for Ty Lee to end her kata. When she did, time seemed to slow. They bowed, they waited, and the seconds ticked on by. Until suddenly, they called the words. Suki took a deep breath. It was a three to four split.

She won.

They bowed again, stepped back, and finally turned to walk from the circle. They did a handshake for show, but the moment they pulled away from the group, Ty Lee all but tackled Suki with another hug. Suki let out another sigh of relief when she did so, ignoring her still pounding heart and the warm sweat stuck to both their skin.

“You did such a good job!” said Ty Lee. She dramatically pressed a kiss to Suki’s cheek, which made her blush way too hard. It was a good thing her face was still pink from the kata. “You’re going to win this whole thing, I know it. Who do you think you’ll be up against? I feel like it’s probably going to be—”

“Wait, come here for a second.” Suki reached down for Ty Lee’s hand, lightly guiding her out of the room. Ty Lee made a face, opening her mouth to ask what they were doing and probably to point out the fact that they had only minutes before Suki was up again, but she didn’t get the chance. “I know, but I have to talk to you for a minute. It can’t wait.”

Suki led Ty Lee all the way out into the hallway, never once letting go of her hand. They stopped once they were out of sight, alone save for a few random stragglers who were less than interested in their affairs. Ty Lee glanced around, furrowing her brow, before she turned back to look at Suki. She hesitated before she spoke, her tone more than a little baffled.

“What are you doing?” she asked, already looking back towards the door. “You only have a few minutes before the finals, you should be—”

“I know this probably isn’t the best time to say this,” Suki started, gripping onto both of Ty Lee’s hands, “but I don’t know if when we’ll be able to see each other again after today, and I— I really like you, Ty Lee. We’ve only known each other for two days but you are so nice and sweet, and I would be honored if you would come to the banquet with me tonight.”

“Of course, I will. I would love to come with you and to be honest, I really like you too.”

She smiled, leaning forward slowly as she pressed their lips together. Suki couldn’t help but let her own lips curl upward, sinking into the moment. It was a little fast and she knew it, but she didn’t know how long it would be until they could see each other again after that weekend, so she let herself go. She squeezed Ty Lee’s hands gently, smiling more at the soft giggle which escaped her lips.

The moment didn’t last quite as long as Suki would’ve liked due to the fact that she had to get back into the tournament area for the last around, but it was still amazing. Ty Lee gave her cheek another quick kiss as they strode back into the room, still clinging to each other’s hands. When they walked back in, the last round was still finishing, and it gave them a moment to relax while they set up for the finals.

“You’re going to win this,” Ty Lee whispered, giving her hand another squeeze. “I know you will. You _have_ to. I know that guy you’re up against, and he’s a total jerk. Also, he’s a stupid boy, and you need to win this because there’s like one girl to three boys here and it’s ridiculous. Take him down.”

“I’ll do my best.” Suki grinned and bit down on her lip, only turning away when she noticed someone waving to her. “Oh, that’s Sensei Kyoshi, I have to get over there for the round. Wish me luck?”

“Of course. I know you’ll do great.”

The words did mean a lot to Suki, but nothing meant more than the smile on Ty Lee’s face. Even when they parted ways, not to see each other in person again for months to come, she would think about that smile. Maybe she was a little biased, but she thought it was the most beautiful she’d ever seen.


End file.
